Imam Yusuf b. Isma‘il al-Nabahani (1265–1350 AH), hadith scholar,
Sufi, jurist, judge, and biographer, was born in Beirut, Lebanon. A
prolific author, al-Nabahani left behind a staggering collection of
works in hadith, fiqh, theology, and most famously, poetry and prose in
praise of our Master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
Imam al-Nabahani, may Allah have mercy upon him, was a paragon of Prophetic love (‘ishq) and his works
continue to exercise a profound influence on popular Muslim
spirituality.

Born to a Turkish mother and non-Arab father and
raised as an orphan in Cairo, he memorized the Qur'an at eight, then
several complete works of Sacred Law, fundamentals of jurisprudence, and
Arabic grammar; after which he devoted himself to studying the Sacred
Sciences under about a hundred and fifty shaykhs. A giant among
contemporaries, he remained alone, producing a sustained output of
scholarly writings until his death at the age of sixty-two. He was
buried in Hawsh Qawsun in Cairo.